


The Illusion of Control

by junko



Series: Curse of the Nue [10]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-29
Updated: 2012-07-29
Packaged: 2017-11-11 00:38:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/472499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a misguided effort to rein in Renji's demon, Byakuya finally goes too far.  Aizen observes from the shadows and hatches plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Illusion of Control

Inwardly, Byakuya cringed as the rice paper door rattled as it was slammed back against its frame.

He should go after him. Renji was clearly in that wild state he seemed to get into whenever the demon began to surface. With that crazy-eyed strength, who knew what kind of destruction Renji was capable of? What harm he might do to himself or others?

Byakuya couldn’t just step aside and let it happen; he was responsible for it, after all. He’d asked Renji’s demon to act as a buffer against his own failing, his desperate desire to protect Rukia despites orders, despite the law. The ploy had worked perfectly-- though, in retrospect, perhaps too perfectly. Rukia’s fate was now sealed. She was lost to them both.

The other unfortunate and unforeseen side-effect of that fateful night was that Renji seemed less and less in control of himself ever since. There was a feral, churning reistsu around him all the time now.

It was… frightening.

Byakuya had never been truly afraid of anything in his life, certainly never a subordinate. In his youth, his grandfather had terrified him--utterly, deeply—but not since Academy had another human being ever scared him.

Perhaps that was the problem.

His lover was turning into something… inhuman, wild. Pulling the door open slowly, Byakuya watched Renji storming across the practice yard, petulantly knocking things out of his way as he went. Absently, Byakuya’s hand strayed to his neck and the fading bruises under the wildflower silk.

He must have been out of his mind to ever have agreed to this entanglement of theirs. There were reasons there were strict regulations against fraternization.

_What if I told you I loved you?_

Sometimes, completely unbidden, those words came back to Byakuya. Or, out of the blue, he’d suddenly remember the corresponding physical memory of soft kisses on his eyelids and strong arms cradling him. Beyond sexy, yes, but… _love_? Did such a rough, uncultured man as Renji even understand what love was? How expensive and dangerous it was?

_Love_ was never meant to be part of this equation.

Never.

Byakuya had agreed to this dalliance because he was attracted to Renji physically, and, though it might be unusual, it was perfectly proper and acceptable for someone of his station to take an adult male lover from a lower class. But there were rules, customs to be observed, and Renji constantly broken—no, decimated--every one of them, most of them without thinking, without any sense of his impropriety. Worse, Renji broke his solemn oath. That day at the sentō Renji had promised to be only what was asked of him. He’d sworn to obey Byakuya in the battlefield and the bedroom.

But Byakuya should have known better. Renji always fought… everything. Thinking he could trust Renji to be obedient had been a fool’s gamble, lost before it was placed.

And then that damn, willful man would have to throw _love_ into this already volatile mix.

What was Byakuya supposed to do with him now?

Things were already spiraling out of Byakuya’s control. Rukia was sliding from his grasp, and now Renji…

No. Byakuya wouldn’t allow Renji’s demon to steal his competent adjutant… his companion, his one remaining solace, from him. If he had to suffer losing Rukia, fine; he’d be damned if he’d lose Renji too.

He’d been too lenient. It was time to tame the beast for real. Lay down the law.

#

Sōzuke Aizen never expected to stumble onto a scene quite like this.

Normally, this late in the evening, he kept to his own division, but it was time to play a little politics and drop in for an unannounced social visit to the Sixth. As long as he was polite about it, Kuchiki wouldn’t refuse him, and without an appointment the Sixth's captain would be a little off-guard, irritated. He knew, of course, about all the trouble Kuchiki was having with Central and he’d hoped to play the sympathetic ear. Perhaps he might even be able to suss out what possessed the man to be so damn law-abiding and, perhaps, get a clue what move might provoke the proper response from this particular set of unruly chess pieces.

Instead, he’d found this….

Of course, Gin had told him about the rumors, very whispered, that swirled around Kuchiki. Gin claimed there was a perhaps-too-friendly relationship with that rowdy, tattooed lieutenant of his, but this was much hotter and much more… deviant than anything Sōzuke could have imagined. Especially, since Sōzuke had been sure Gin must have made up this bit of gossip, as it seemed so out of character for the proper and genteel Kuchiki. Sōzuke figured Kuchiki was like him--steel-cold and passionless.

Once again Kuchiki surprised him. It seemed Kuchiki did have a passion, a dark burning one, and its name was Renji Abarai.

If only he could get closer.

But, alas, both of those two bastards were far too sensitive to reistsu, and he didn’t entirely trust Kuchiki not to be able to detect the kidō that kept Sōzuke hidden, despite its extraordinary high skill-level.

So, he clung to the side of the wall, his fingers digging into plaster, taking surreptitious glances down the alleyway. The darkness and distance forced him to try to imagine the scene based on what he could hear.

Dear gods, curiosity was eating him raw.

What was Byakuya doing to Renji that made him make those almost pitiful noises? Was it pleasure or pain?

He could just barely see the faint glow of kidō. Renji was restrained and fighting like mad. There were frustrated growls and… moans, deep-throated, full-on passionate groans that stirred some deep part of Sōzuke’s usually asexual brain.

Sex was a weapon to Sōzuke; politics his only pleasure.

Though, he tended to use sex as politics, to keep people sweet, not usually like… this. No, no, for Sōzuke sex was something to be doled out in careful measure, as a reward, or _perhaps_ to continue some bit of private shame, something that would continue to motivate or to wrap someone tighter, closer.

He knew Gin used sex this way, full of pain and shame, but the results were very twisted, indeed. Gin did such awful things because he enjoyed breaking stuff just to see how the pieces fell. Sōzuke had never imagined Kuchiki to be like Gin. Did that make Renji as broken and desperate for true affection and kindness as that pathetic little Kira?

That would be interesting.

But, it didn’t seem Kuchiki had quite broken this toy of his yet. Not if Renji was still fighting like that. Not with all that cursing and snarling. No, they were still in the early stages, wrestling for control, for pride. Renji hadn’t given up yet, he hadn’t been truly taken, not at the core, where it mattered if you wanted to completely own someone that way. He still resisted the collar.

Perhaps Kuchiki was getting desperate for some reason. Because, open air? Really? Kuchiki must be out of his mind with desire to be so indiscrete. Or… perhaps this was part of the punishment game for some reason? Perhaps Kuchiki was trying to show Renji that he was willing to take him in public, give him a taste of what it would be like to be brought down in front of everyone.

Oh, that would be surprisingly nasty of Kuchiki.

And cruel, if he knew anything _at all_ about his lover.

Whatever was going on, it was obvious Renji love/hated it. Perhaps that was the part of this relationship that could be exploited somehow.

Wait. They were talking now. What was Kuchiki saying to Renji?

Oh, my. A discussion of obedience.

Well, well, well. This couldn’t be more perfect. These two problematic chess pieces suddenly became much easier to manage.

 

#

“Let me go,” Renji panted. Why were those always the last words lately? “Goddamn it, Byakuya, game over. Let me go now.”

“Game?” Byakuya lifted his head, from where he’d lain it, sweaty and flushed, against Renji’s neck. In the moonlight, his gray eyes were like liquid silver. They narrowed dangerously. “What part of this feels like playing to you? Do I really need to hurt you more before you understand?”

“Understand?” Renji repeated, a deep frown on his face, his eyes frantically searching Byakuya’s. “Understand what?”

“Your place.”

Renji’s stomach dropped, it plummeted to the ground to lay with his hakama, pooled around his ankles. He snarled, pushing against the restrains again, only this time with much more seriousness. “My place? Are you fucking kidding me? All this has been about putting me in my place?”

“Isn’t this how dogs are trained?” Byakuya said coolly, stepping back. He began straightening his shihakushô, pulling up hakama and tucking in shitage and kisode. “The master must use the whip and unwavering discipline.”

Renji’s jaw flexed. Was this for real? No, Byakuya couldn’t be serious about this master/dog shit. This was just his kink, his turn-on, right? “Maybe that works on some scared little pup,” Renji said. “But, you of all people know, I ain’t no dog.”

Yet when a cool finger reached out to trace the line of his cheekbone, Renji flinched. “Ah,” Byakuya smiled. “But stripped of your demon, you are.”

Despite himself, Renji turned his head to try to spot Zabimaru among the garbage piled at the end of the alley. Byakuya had literally torn his zanpaktō from him and flung it aside. There had been some kind of blast of kidō, too, because Renji had been having a hard time sensing Zabimaru’s presence. It was almost as if Byakuya had found a way to knock out or interfere with their soul-connection. It had been the most awful part of all of this. The violent sex… whatever. They’d been down that road so many times Renji didn’t even feel weird about it much anymore, but excluding Zabimaru like that had been like a slap in the face.

Renji had been far too distracted by sex to really be concerned until now. _You okay, buddy?_

Before he sensed any answer, strong fingers dug into his jaw and turned his head. “I allow you to carry him despite peacetime rules. Should I deny you?”

“No,” Renji said instantly. “You can’t.”

“I can and I will, unless you learn to behave.”

“Okay,” Renji said, hating himself for this weakness. But he was fairly sure he’d die or go insane if separated from Zabimaru for too long, especially if it was against his will. He tried to sound contrite, but he was pretty sure he failed, “You win. Whatever you want is fine.”

“Kiss my feet.”

Renji’s eyes snapped as sharply as his reply, “What?!”

“Show me your obedience when I release you by kissing my feet.”

“How about, fuck you!”

“Very well. You leave me no choice,” Byakuya said, moving toward the garbage at the end of the alley where Zabimaru lay.

“No, wait! Alright, fine. I’ll kiss your goddamn feet.” _Then I’ll fucking kill you._

Byakuya snapped his fingers, a hollow, empty sound that echoed in the dark alleyway. Renji let his arms fall to his side and he stood there for a moment, his teeth grinding. Byakuya waited, but a single finger rose to the ready.

_I can’t take him, not without Zabimaru, and not before he can cast another fucking binding spell._

Renji dropped to his knees slowly. He told himself as he bowed his head that this wasn’t real, this was just part of Byakuya’s screwed up idea of sex games. He’d play along for now, to keep Zabimaru safe. But this was it. No more.

Giving was one thing. Renji had a lot to give and he’d keep giving--if love was any part of this. If all this was just pretend fun, even if it was a bit on the edge, Renji would still be alright letting Byakuya play out these fantasies. But, there was no way anyone who loved him even the slightest bit would treat him like this.

Not for _real_.

It was over.

He may not know it, but this was Byakuya’s good-bye kiss. Especially since Byakuya lifted his sandal and made him place it on the underside, his foot over Renji’s face, pressing him ever so slightly into the dirt.

_I told you once, Byakuya: no one puts me down._

_No one._

 

#

Sōzuke could not resist the lovely sight of Renji on his knees. He’d crept close enough to see the full image: kisode and shitage open to reveal hints of ink on his chest and stomach. Hakama left behind when he stepped forward to kneel before his captain, his master.

Gorgeous! Such a powerful man in utter and complete subservience… or at least so it seemed on the surface.

Kuchiki was an idiot, however, if he thought he’d really conquered this fine beast. Renji had given in over something Sōzuke hadn’t quite caught. He’d still been too far away at that point and they’d spoken so softly, he couldn’t hear all the details. Something Byakuya had over him, but what was it?

It was something Renji loved, something or someone for which he was willing to sacrifice his pride.

Finding out what that was became Sōzuke’s number one goal. If he could get it from Byakuya, he would have Renji as his own. And using Kuchiki’s lover against him would be its own kind of deliciousness.

 

#

“Good,” Byakuya said with a soft, almost relieved sigh. “Now, come. Let’s go to bed.”

Bed? Together? Was he fucking nuts? Renji looked up from where he knelt, half of his face still pressed into the alley’s filth. No, Byakuya’s expression was serious, almost… hopeful.

“Uh,” Renji said sitting up on his knees and rubbing the side of his face, to wipe of the dirt and smudge. After this big scene it wasn’t like could tell Byakuya to go fuck himself. He was going to have to keep playing along for a while, acting the part. He tried to keep his voice even, as he said, “Sure. Okay. You go on.”

“Oh? And where are you going?”

“Home,” Renji said, glancing down the alley. “I just need to collect my Zabimaru and take him back to my place. I’ll get my robe and meet you in… twenty minutes, tops.”

“Very well.” Byakuya turned, then, and walked away.

From his knees, Renji watched him go. Once the captain had turned the corner and headed down the street, Renji bolted for the pile of trash. He tossed things aside until he found Zabimaru. The pinkish glow of Byakuya’s kidō was slowly fading from around it. He took the hilt in his hand, _Talk to me_.

_Unexpected_ , grumbled the deep voice.

_Stupid kidō_ , hissed the other _._

Renji breathed a deep sigh of relief. Whatever Byakuya had done, it was temporary. He could feel Zabimaru shaking it off as he carried it back to where he’d left his hakama.

_Okay, listen_ , he said to Zabimaru, propping him against the wall. Renji dusted off the hakama and pulled them up around his waist. He found the obi and started winding it through, _We’re going to lay low for a while, got it? He’s right. I don’t need to carry you during peacetime. I want you somewhere safe._

_Safe is at your side_ , the deep voice growled.

The second hissed in agreement, _Safety, Inuzuri hound, is in numbers_.

Renji tucked in his shirts and tied up the obi. He thrust Zabimaru into place. _Not this time._

Though it bothered him that Zabimaru had brought up Inuzuri, because Renji had just been thinking that the last time he felt this cornered, this helpless, was on the streets of that hellhole.

Maybe that’s why he ended up going first to the guardhouse.

Rukia was still sitting her chair, staring out the window up at the moon. “It’s got to be closing on midnight, Renji. What are you doing here?”

“Would you get up out of that fucking chair, come here, and give me your hand for a second?”

Maybe it was something in his voice, but she turned to look at him, her purple eyes wide, concerned. Slowly, almost as if afraid of a trick, she came over to him, and took the hand he’d thrust between the bars.

His fingers closed around hers gently. So tiny. So fragile.

Everything he’d fought so long for.

“I need you to listen to me, Rukia,” he said softly. “You were right about Byakuya. He’s not who I thought he was.”

“What’s happened? Why is your hair down? Were you in a fight? Oh! Please tell me you didn’t fight my brother. No,” she told herself quickly, “You’re still alive. Did you have an argument with him?”

“None of that matters,” Renji said. “What about Ukitake? He used to be your captain. Can I go to him? Will he fight for you?”

“I… I don’t know,” Rukia admitted, sounding a little frightened all of a sudden. Her other hand wrapped around their grasp, to clutch desperately, “What’s changed all of a sudden, Renji? Why won’t you tell me?”

“I’ll talk to Ukitake,” he said, nodding, making plans. “Do you have other friends here?”

“Here? No, I have no friends _here_.”

Renji nodded, understanding the grief in her voice, the pain. He should have been her friend here, but he’d thrown all that history away for Byakuya. For what he thought was love. And, her love… that poor kid was probably dead by now, too, “That human boy, right? That’s something else we can thank Byakuya for. You know, I wanted to say sorry about that archer dude. He was your friend too, he said he was just a classmate, but he was ready to die for you. And I guess he did.”

“I don’t blame you, Renji. You were on orders.”

“Well, maybe I blame myself,” Renji shrugged out of her grasp. “I’ll get word to the Thirteenth. I’ve got some connections I can tap that no one will trace back here. I might be stuck, okay? I got my back up against a wall I wasn’t expecting. I’ve got to play along to get along. You remember how that was, right? But it means you can’t count on me, either, got it? But this ain’t over yet,” he let his Inuzuri accent come through strong, as he turned to look her in the eye. He raised his hand and pointed at her sharply, “Don’t you fucking give up, Rukia.”

“I… okay, Renji, I won’t.”

#

_Ah_ , _I thought it might be this way_ , Sōzuke smiled, pressing himself against the wall as he watched Renji storm out of the guardhouse, _it was the girl_, _after all_.

Too bad all the kidō locks would have detected him or he would have followed more closely behind and listened to their brief conversation. But, it hardly mattered what drivel they passed between them. Knowing that Renji had come directly here after that alley scene told him everything he needed to know. The girl was the key. She held the Hōgyoku as well as Renji’s heart. She was the thing Byakuya possessed that would drive Renji to willingly drop to his knees and obediently kiss the bottom of Byakuya’s feet.

Now, Sōzuke just needed to figure out _exactly_ which of Renji’s buttons to push, so _he_ could be the beast’s new master.

 


End file.
